Metairie fire damages shed and adjacent home

A shed in the rear of a home at 2600 Green Acres Road in Metairie caught fire late Saturday morning, causing significant damage to the shed and an adjoining home. No one was injured.

The home's owner, Todd Barnes, first tried to combat the blaze himself, but by the time Jefferson Parish firefighters arrived at 11:48 a.m., it was well under way.

"The owner told me that he attempted to fight the fire with a garden hose. But of course, by that time it was out of his control," said George Rigamer, a spokesman for the East Bank Consolidated Fire Department.

"It was a free-burning fire at that point, and it needed the attention of the fire department. It was much too large for any resident."

The fire was fueled in part by the contents of the shed, which included two five-gallon tanks of gasoline and a propane tank.

By 12:17 p.m., the fire was under control, but not before it had caused an estimated $60,000 in damage to the shed and its contents and $10,000 in damage to the adjoining home at 5505 Wabash St.